Inyo County California

Project: Proposed Airline Service at the Bishop Airport 

Description and Location: Inyo County proposes to initiate commercial airline service at the Bishop Airport (BIH). The Proposed Project includes the amendment of the Operations Specifications for United Airlines (United Express) to allow scheduled commercial air service to BIH, and the issuance of an Airport Operating Certificate (Class I) pursuant to 14 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 139.

Environmental Review: Inyo County has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA), and an Initial Study (IS) to evaluate and disclose the potential environmental impacts associated with the proposed airline service at the Bishop Airport. The EA was prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act, and the IS was prepared pursuant to the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act. The Final EA will be submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the FAA will use the EA when deciding whether to issue a Finding of No Significant Impact or to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement. For purposes of CEQA, Inyo County intends to adopt a Negative Declaration.  The public review period for the proposed project begins March 2, 2021 and ends April 12, 2021.  Comments on the Draft EA may be submitted electronically to BIHPart139EA@esassoc.com. Comments on the Draft IS/ND may be submitted electronically to BIH_ISND@esassoc.com.  Written comments may be submitted to: Ashley Helms, Inyo County Public Works 168 N Edwards, Independence CA 93526.

The draft documents are available for download below under the heading Current Projects - Environmental Documents. Hard copies and electronic copies on USB flash drive are available upon request at the Bishop Library, Mammoth Lakes Library, and Inyo County Public Works Office.

A virtual Public Workshop/Public Hearing was held on the evening of April 1, 2021.  For those who missed the presentation, a recording of the event can be viewed on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/532463279/5463e35ea3, and the presentation can be found below.